Marafa: Nothing good about telecoms shutdown in Zamfara — people can’t report attacks

Kabir Marafa, the former senator representing Zamfara central, says the shutdown of telecommunications services in parts of Zamfara has done more harm than good.

In September, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) directed telecommunications providers to shut down services in Zamfara as part of efforts to address insecurity in the state.

On October 1, Bello Matawalle, governor of Zamfara, directed telecommunication companies to restore network services only in Gusau, the state capital.

Reacting to the development, Marafa, in an interview with Channels Television on Friday, said residents are unable to report attacks as a result of the shutdown of network services.

“That is another aspect that I think even the president needs to know — that issue of outage of communication. Outage of communication has done more harm to our people than good. There is nothing good about it,” he said.

When asked to speak on the governor’s position that the measure has led to reduction in the activities of bandits, the former lawmaker said the state government’s position doesn’t represent what is happening in communities.

“That is the governor and I don’t know where he draws his information from. I’m telling you as an indigene and citizen of Zamfara state,” he said.

“What are all these things about — this break in communication? Day before yesterday, they said the Zamfara state government sent a delegation to one of the key bandits that controls a very large area to ask him to embrace amnesty or negotiation or whatever.

“He told them that he doesn’t give a hoot about the breakdown of the communication because he uses Thuraya and that is the truth of the matter. They (referring to bandits) use Thuraya all over the place now.

“What is the breakdown of the communication all about — suppressing the people maybe not to be able to come to the aid of themselves?

“When there was communication, at least, if there was going to be an attack in a village or there is an attack, the people from the village can call for help all over the place. Now nothing and this thing continues day in, day out, every day.

“I think the minister of communication needs to fear God on this issue because to us, there is like a connivance with him. Just day before yesterday seven mobile policemen were killed and we saw their corpses and everything.

“What happened? They were ambushed and they don’t have communication gadgets; they don’t have anything. The people they were supposed to be attacking have a way of communicating with themselves but our security agencies don’t have communication gadgets.”